When a photographer chases a sunflower field

Kizzy Rennie Saturday, January 23, 2021 Post Comment

I hate losing things. I don't lose them often so when I do, I take the loss pretty hard. It's also part of the reason why I practice frugality. The cheaper the value, the easier the recovery, right? When I lost my new headphones this week, I was quick to think, I don't deserve nice things but I just as quickly retracted. Accidents happen. And that argument doesn't hold up against the things that are considered priceless. Things like the free beauty of nature.

I've noticed, with slight contempt, that the major pastimes of my city are biking, hiking or walking through the park. It's very easy to chalk up these activities as ordinary or unstimulating. Especially in comparison to a beach party or amusement park. However, I have come to appreciate the serenity they seek.

I even encountered a friend fully decked out in riding regalia biking through the campus trails, the same campus he worked on; and he seems quite pleased. Now, that I am resting on Saturdays, I get it. You really can't buy this kind of peace.

The Victoria Esplanade is the hot spot for kid-laden families and seemed like the ideal spot to set the pace. It's a mix of gardens, playgrounds, train, golf course and river side benches. It's also a botanist's dream with a huge variety of fauna and flora labelled with accurate detail. This, however, only blesses your eyes for the three months of summer.

All beauty doesn't have to blossom simultaneously

And some beauty stands alone.

But there was an aim in mind. I heard of some sunflowers located close to He Ara Kotahi bridge. Not only does this bridge connect the Esplanade to Massey Research Land but apparently serves as a cute photoshoot area for some budding dancers. I saw some firebirds that Jordan Matter would be proud of.

The weather wasn't the best for what I had in mind, peeking every now and then behind the clouds. Just like the Teletubbies intro. Some one was laughing but it wasn't me. However, once the birds began their exodus I knew that my time was officially limited.

I won't bore you with the details of how long it took me to find this area - the number of cows I had the greet, the closed gates I encountered, the fences I wanted to climb, the signs I had to comply with or the tracks I had to re-walk.

Just to skip pot holes, stand next to cow dung and shove my hand through barbwire to get these pictures.

Perhaps this field belongs to a special project or the barricade is a simple safeguard from enthusiasts like myself. Because trust me, I was ready to come back and host a whole photoshoot. But these, are they turnips, were supposedly of utmost importance.

Today I thanked God for my Daddy's long hand genes. And even though the sun disappeared, the sunflowers knew exactly where to look and never stopped looking. May I learn to do the same.